Minor earthquakes rattle Big Island, Puget Sound area, with no damage reported

Hundreds of people reported feeling minor earthquakes of similar intensity on Hawaii’s Big Island and on the Olympic Peninsula northwest of Seattle, but no damage was reported.

The earthquakes Saturday afternoon in Hawaii and Sunday morning in Washington state were over 2,600 miles (4,200 kilometers) apart and apparently unrelated.

A magnitude 4.1 quake struck around 4:30 p.m. Saturday nine miles (14 kilometers) southwest of Volcano off the southeastern coast of the island of Hawaii.

The quake was too small to generate a tsunami, according to the National Weather Service U.S. Tsunami Warning System.

However, dozens reported feeling it through the U.S. Geological Survey. The quake was in the area of Kilauea, a volcano that erupted for several weeks before quieting in September.

Shortly after 7 a.m. Sunday, dozens more people in the Puget Sound area reported feeling a magnitude 4.0 quake centered on the northeastern Olympic Peninsula 25 miles (40 kilometers) northwest of Seattle.

A magnitude 4.0 quake is strong enough to wake people and rattle cars and dishes but will not cause damage, according to the Geological Survey.